Have you had your home checked for P? | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

Shifting house? Pack your bags, sort the moving company and book in to have your new home checked for P contamination.

That's the advice of former police sergeant and general manager of The New Zealand Drug Detection Agency, Leigh Sefton, who says with P becoming more prevalent in society and methods of making it becoming more obscure, telltale signs aren't always visible to the naked eye.

Residents moving house should "consider" having their new home checked for contamination before moving in, he said.

P could be made in items as small as a drink bottle and home owners needed to be vigilant.

Mr Sefton said undetected contamination could lead to thousands of dollars in house repairs and serious health implications.

Mr Sefton said any landlord should consider inserting a clause into their tenancy agreement reserving the right to have the property checked for methamphetamine residue.

In the past year, The New Zealand Drug Detection Agency conducted 26 tests in the Bay of Plenty with a 33 per cent positive result.

These tests include pre purchase testing, pre occupancy testing, and property inspection testing.

Mr Sefton said while the police were making every effort to wipe out the manufacture of P, the fact is that the chemicals needed to manufacture the drug were easily obtainable and had many legitimate uses, making it difficult to put restrictions on the sale or supply of them.

"The manufacturers of the drug move around the country on a regular basis to avoid detection, and in doing so leave in their wake contaminated properties to be purchased or rented to unsuspecting families and landlords."

Businesses were also at risk, he said.

"They'll rent a motel room, apartment in the Mount, do a whole lot of baking and move on."